The US military attacked a boat in the eastern Pacific on Tuesday, killing one person and leaving two others stranded at sea, officials said.

"One male narco-terrorist was killed during this action and there were two survivors," US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) wrote in a post to X.

It added that it "immediately notified the US Coast Guard to activate the search and rescue system for the survivors."

The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to an AFP request for information on rescue efforts.

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The strike followed dozens of similar attacks in recent months and brought the death toll in the campaign to at least 193, according to an AFP tally.

In its post, the military alleged the targeted vessel was "operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations" and "transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific" for drug trafficking.

Grainy black-and-white video accompanying the post showed part of the boat obscured by a box before the strike, then a large explosion, and then smoking wreckage in the water.

No survivors can be seen in the footage.

The US military launched the operation, dubbed "Southern Spear," in early September, with President Donald Trump insisting the US is effectively at war with drug cartels operating out of Latin America.

But his administration has not provided definitive evidence that the vessels it has been striking are involved in drug trafficking.

Legal experts and rights groups say the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings because they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the US.